Multi cat Yogi can do ‘Almost everything’

Tug and workboat company Herman Sr took delivery of their Damen Multi Cat 2611 Yogi in 2008 and since then the vessel has been kept busy working on projects worldwide. Currently in Aracruz, Brazil, Yogi is involved in towing activities, anchor handling, supplying equipment, floating pipeline handling and providing general assistance in a project to dredge a new port.

Previous projects have included lifting, transporting and cutting of a sinker pipeline, work on a gas pipeline and also wind farm work. “We worked a lot in offshore energy with Yogi to begin with, she’s been involved in dredging, civil engineering, diving support, surveying, fibre coiling, recovery of anchors and towing,” says Herman Sr Managing Director Jack van Dodewaard. “It’s a very competitive market but we have plenty of enquiries and have a good history of doing a lot of different types of jobs. We have very experienced crewing capabilities to handle a range of projects.”

And while Yogi could benefit from some slight adjustments, so could every vessel, says Herman Sr Commercial Manager, Erwin van Dodewaard who is also one of Yogi’s captains. “I’ve worked for six years on the vessel and in my experience she can do almost everything.”

“Jobwise there has been nothing that we have had to decline or not been able to complete though some have been more difficult than others,” he says. “We bought the vessel when she was 75% built and then finished her to our requirements. Because of this we only had a small input into her design such as making small adjustments to the bridge and the layout. She is my first experience of a Multi Cat and has always performed well.”

Measuring 26m x 11.5m and with a 30 tonnes bollard pull, Yogi has a large working deck which Mr van Dodewaard points out means work can be safely carried out over the bow and also makes manoeuvring much easier and safer. “This is a big plus of the vessel with nothing to be damaged from the props or any other stern gear. Another benefit of the Multi Cat is that she is very stable in a sea state, handling very well.”

“A lot of people think it’s not safe as the vessel is very open but water slides over the surface,” explained Mr van Dodewaard. “I’ve done some crazy stuff with her but have never been worried about the stability of the vessel or that she would be lost. She’s a very good working vessel and I’ve always had good experiences with her.”

With Herman Sr’s main experience with Shoalbusters – the company currently has four in the fleet with number five, Barney delivered in April – Mr van Dodewaard says Yogi took some getting used to in the beginning with her different handling characteristics. “She’s quite different compared to a Shoalbuster but quite good if you get used to her. She’s very different compared to a conventional tug, very wide and short. She has a very large turning circle but manoeuvring is much easier in some situations.”

Shallow draft

Furthermore, he points out that with a shallow draft of just 2.4m, Yogi is good for shallow water and still handles well. She’s working on a project in shallow water at the moment and performing very well assisting a cutter dredger. The project is quite long, longer than a year. It is quite an intense project.” The nature of the current project means crew need to stay on board the vessel for long periods of time, a factor made easier by the good accommodation – heated and air conditioned living space for six crew, a galley and messroom.

And Yogi’s small size means she is also easily transported to projects across the globe such as on a submersible vessel. “She was loaded by cranes onto a heavy lift vessel to go to Dubai. From Dubai she was loaded onto a semi-submersible vessel to go to Brazil,” explained Mr Van Dodewaard. “That’s a good thing about small boats. She is very capable of going offshore and sailing worldwide.